WeBo 1: A Young Barium Star Surrounded by a Ringlike Planetary Nebula

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© 2003. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
, , Citation Howard E. Bond et al 2003 AJ 125 260 DOI 10.1086/344809

1538-3881/125/1/260

Abstract

WeBo 1 (PN G135.6+01.0), a previously unrecognized planetary nebula with a remarkable thin-ring morphology, was discovered serendipitously on Digitized Sky Survey images. The central star is found to be a late-type giant with overabundances of carbon and s-process elements. The giant is chromospherically active and photometrically variable, with a probable period of 4.7 days; this suggests that the star is spotted, and that 4.7 days is its rotation period. We propose a scenario in which one component of a binary system became an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star with a dense stellar wind enriched in C and s-process elements; a portion of the wind was accreted by the companion, contaminating its atmosphere and spinning up its rotation. The AGB star has now become a hot subdwarf, leaving the optical companion as a freshly contaminated barium star inside an ionized planetary nebula.

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10.1086/344809